


Sucker For You

by fifum



Category: Original Work
Genre: Blood, Blood Drinking, College, Fluff and Angst, Half-Vampires, Hurt/Comfort, It's a happy story I promise!, M/M, Panic Attacks, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-09
Updated: 2017-08-09
Packaged: 2018-12-13 07:15:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11754777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fifum/pseuds/fifum
Summary: A bat flies into the window of Terrence Chen's house, knocking itself both unconscious and into Terrence's life.





	1. Bat Meets Boy

**Author's Note:**

> In my English class my senior year of high school we were given a Creative Writing Project. This is what I came up with for it over winter break, a sappy love story between a vampire and a human. I'd really appreciate constructive criticism on it.  
> Cliche as it might be, I hope you enjoy it!

His name was Vladimir Milestone Orvan, but he just went by Miles.  
Mostly because ‘Vladimir’ was embarrassing.

It was a trait passed down from his father’s father - the name as well as the unaddressed vampirism that showed itself in his late teens and caused his Mom to throw him out of the house. She’d thrown his father out years ago. She’d thrown Miles out the day of his high school graduation. On one hand, he was glad he’d been thrown out for being a half-vampire rather than for being bisexual, as that seemed much more reasonable, but on the other hand, he’d still been thrown out. He was supposed to go to college, but that dream had been reduced drastically. Now, he just wanted to get enough to eat.

He was 21, and after three years of living on his own, he was a barely-human disaster. He had only one set of clothes: the dingy dress shirt and black slacks he wore to graduation. He was hungry. He was always hungry. He’d been surviving off of livestock and woodland creatures, forbidding himself any human blood. He might have wanted it, sure, but that didn't mean he was going to sink down to his father’s level and drink from the living. Miles at least wanted the illusion of humanity. It might not have done much to ease his appetite, but it kept his conscious from being weighed down. At least the drawbacks of vampirism were somewhat balanced out with the benefits; he could turn into a bat now, and it conserved a lot of energy. The less energy he used, the less he’d have to eat, and it was a trade-off he was more than willing to make. His body, however, began protesting the nutritional cut-back more and more dramatically.  
He was absolutely, positively exhausted.

\-------------------------

He was absolutely, positively exhausted.  
Terrence was studying, a pastime he was more than accustomed to at this point. His parents didn’t send him to college for him to put off his studies, and he didn’t want to be sent home into the sea of scolding that awaited him if he did fail. Even so, it was tiring sometimes, and more often than not he found himself wanting into curl up in the covers rather than study on top of them. Flipping through pages of his zoology textbook, he sat idly, studying for his upcoming quiz. He would’ve kept doing that too, if it hadn’t been for the perfectly soft thunk against his window. He paused, setting his book down on his bed to see what had hit it.

If some idiot college kids were trying to throw rocks at his window, he wasn’t having it. They might’ve had parents who paid for their off-campus rent, but he didn’t, and he wasn’t going to add the cost of a broken window to that. Besides, his housemates would probably kill him.

Seeing nothing immediately, he trudged downstairs into the North Dakotan winter to see if he could spot the culprits. The sidewalk was a ghost town, and he went around the side of the house to be sure no one was hanging around and waiting for him to leave only to throw a second stone.

A bat. Just lying there, no bigger than the palm of his hand. Tiny. Fuzzy.  
It must’ve flown right into his window. It laid, still as death, in the partially melted snow. It was a split-second, gut decision. Terrence ducked back into the house, got some gloves on and brought a shoe box with a towel in it back outside with him, scooping the dazed critter into it and taking them both back into the heat of the house.

If the poor thing was flying during the day, it might’ve been sicker than he thought. The least he could do was provide it with a comfortable deathbed. He laid out some raw hamburger, fruit, and some bugs he fished out from his windowsill, unable to identify the bat at all, much less what kind of food it ate. He went back to studying, glancing over at the shoe box every now and then when he wanted a break from working.

Once Miles woke up, he went straight into panic mode. Someone was peering over him and he didn’t know where the hell he was, stilling and locking eyes with his captor. He was…young, and seemed more curious than anything. His eyes were notably very brown and very big. Maybe it was just the angle. It took some time, but eventually the temptation of the meat left out by that guy (terrace, or something like that) was too much, and he took what blood he could from it. A couple sips of water too, for good measure.

Terrence was overjoyed. He immediately went out to get more food for his little bat, glad he actually knew what to get for it now.  
For the first day or so, Terrence was mostly quiet. He watched the bat eat, eyes wide with amazement. He’d already started to call him “Drac”. Of course, Miles couldn't verbally protest, but he was glad that at least Terrence didn't go for "Vlad".

It didn't take long for Terrence to begin talking to him. He wasn’t expecting any sort of response of course, just talking to Miles like someone would to a stuffed animal or pet, venting and using him like a living diary. Miles, much to his own surprise, didn't mind. He found it kind of cute when Terrence went on about his day, what new things he learned in his classes, how he hated his acting class and wished he could drop it, how he was going out later to see a band perform at a local bar, all sorts of good things. He vented about how he felt no one really liked him, or about how he was impersonal, how he’d never really been good with people but enjoyed them nonetheless.

And, of course. Miles honestly should have seen it coming. He should’ve seen it coming when he feigned weakness to stay with Terrence longer after a week had passed.  
He had a crush. He didn’t know whether it was the cheap raw meat getting to his head or Terrence’s stories, but there was something there. Maybe he was just starved for company. Either way, Terrence seemed more than happy to keep Drac a little while longer, though he knew (and told the bat) all about his roommates' mounting annoyance.

They’d just been talking one night, further into Miles’s stay (Terrence was doing all of the talking, but Miles’s bat ears made him a better listener anyway), when Terrence mentioned it. A crush.

On a boy in his acting class.

His name was Daryl and he was tall, dark, and handsome (according to Terrence). Miles was immediately jealous. He was scrawny, 5'8", and a redhead, with a spatter of freckles to match. Oh yeah, and there was the whole “vampire” thing. The whole “I have to drink blood to survive” thing. Just that one, little thing.  
It was then that Miles decided his stay had gone too far. He’d have to book a ticket out of this stuffy room, away from this cute, delicious, blood type B-positive boy.

After another week.  
Then he'd go.

Miles would’ve been content if the one-sided conversation had ended right there. He didn’t need to know any more about Terrence’s life, because he would be wiggling himself out of it soon. Terrence, not picking up on his tiny, nonverbal cues, continued on about how he’d talked to his professor about bringing Drac in to be identified, and wouldn’t that be great, Drac?

No. No it was not.

Miles had to get out, and soon. Sooner than he’d planned, at least. He had to be careful, because with two other people living in the house, if he was caught, he was as good as dead. Terrence left for class, then Michael left for class, then Wallace left for class, then Michael came back, then Michael left, and Terrence came back (and was super cute because he was rambling about how well he did on his test), then everybody came in for lunch because of course today was the day for a picnic (it was absolutely freezing outside, what were you people thinking?), and then once Terrence and Michael left, Wallace hung back and watched TV.

For two hours.

Really?

Finally Wallace left and the house was empty. Miles spread his wings, flapped up, and shifted back, a bit rusty in his human form. His hair was just as long and tangled as it was when he first shifted, and he pushed it out of his eyes and straightened his outfit. He took the time to do some quick stretches, and went about figuring out the best way to exit the house.  
He couldn't go out the front door, because then he'd be leaving the door unlocked, and that wasn't responsible. He'd go through the vents, but he didn't know how those were laid out, and he didn't want to get stuck in them. He decided to stick to what he knew, and go for the bedroom window. He spent about 20 minutes messing with the blinds and trying to open the window, which probably hadn’t been opened since the house was built. It was…smaller than he had anticipated. He hiked the window up as far as he could and put one foot on the edge of the window sill when the door to the bedroom opened.

Terrence wasn't expecting much when he opened his door. He was expecting to talk about his day to his sweet little Drac, finish up studying for his finals, and go to bed. He was not expecting Drac’s food in disarray, along with the blinds in disarray, and a little redheaded guy climbing out of his window.

"Who the hell- what are you doing in my room?"

"I'm- um, I was just leaving!"

"Like hell you were! What did you do to Drac?! Where is he?"

"Why- I'm- he's fine-! I didn't do anything to him-!"

"Then you have five seconds to tell me where he is, or I'll call the police." Terrence’s expression was intimidating, but with all the tension it carried, there was a shining speck of concern amidst that roughness. His gray jacket was partially unzipped and he still had snow in his hair, melting quickly from the heat of both the house and his body.

Miles withdrew his foot from the window, turning around and finally staring into Terrence's eyes on even ground. He blinked a few times and quickly looked away. This was way different than when he was a bat.

"Well? Where's my bat?"

Miles's throat was dry. He couldn't make himself speak. Terrence took three strong strides over to Miles, crossing the room easily. He gripped the front of Miles's dress shirt, speaking through clenched teeth. "Look, if you want money, I have it. It’s not much, and I don't know why you would choose to rob a college kid, but that's not the problem. If you hurt that poor, innocent creature, I'll hurt you, a much less innocent creature. So. I'll ask again. Where. Is. Drac."

"H-here," Miles said, raising a shaking hand. "Right here."

"Your hand's empty. Look, it's not a hard question. Where's Drac?"

"No, no, I mean-" Miles sighed, steeling his nerves. "I'm, I'm Drac."

Terrence almost laughed. Miles saw the corners of his eyes crinkle, but there was no laughter. "Stop playing around. Where's my bat."

Miles ducked out of Terrence's grip, backing towards the door of the room. "Your bat? Didn't realize I was owned by you."

"Look, you may be dressed up like a tacky vampire but cut it out. I'm not laughing. Where's my bat."

"I'm not tacky-!"

"You are if you keep stalling and don't tell me where my bat is-! He's still weak, what if he gets hurt, or cold, or- just, look. I'm done messing around. Where is he?"

"Look, I'll show you, ok? But- but you can't tell anyone."

"...I wasn't going to tell anyone I even had a bat. Unless you have that bat in your pants, you better get on with it."

"Ok, ok!"  
Miles took a deep breath and a few steps back before he ran at Terrence, full speed. Terrence, obviously caught off guard, stumbled back against the window, shutting his eyes. When he opened them, the intruder was gone.

"What the-"

Miles flitted down from the ceiling, in front of Terrence's face. "Drac! Were you up in the rafters, buddy? Hiding from that weirdo, no doubt. C’mere," he cooed, offering his palms to the small creature. Miles landed in Terrence's hands, grinning a small grin, not that Terrence would have noticed.

Then he shifted into his human form.

Terrence immediately held on tighter to the growing mass in his arms, Miles eventually ending up bridal style in them. He grinned smugly, tiny fangs poking out from under his top lip. Terrence dropped Miles on the floor, making a high-pitched squealing noise.

"What the hell?!"

Miles stood back up, rubbing his back. "Geez, man. Warn a guy!"

"You're- oh my god. I couldn't identify you because-" Terrence stammered, clamming up momentarily in shock.

Miles laughed nervously, backing up as he realized the weight of what he’d just revealed. "I'll just- I'll go now, ok? Your bat's fine, I'll be out of your hair-"

"You were listening to me when I- oh my god-! You heard me talk about everything- and Daryl-! You can't tell anyone, oh my god, please don't tell anyone- if this Animorphs garbage gets me outed, I swear to God-"

"No, no, don't worry-! Not exactly in any place to judge, Terrence, don't worry!"

"You know my name- of course you know my name, duh! What in the world-"

"W-well, I'm just going to go-" Miles stammered, backing into the door and fumbling for the knob. Terrence crossed the room in a few quick strides, grabbing Miles's wrist. His eyes were shining, like when he talked about Daryl or a new book he'd read. The thrill of discovery.  
"No, you can't go- I need to know your name. I- I didn't think you were actually- a vampire, wow, that's- wow!"

"I-It's Vladimir. Err- well, not really? It's a family name. From my grandfather, I guess? I don't really like it though, I just, I usually go by my middle name, it's a lot less uncomfortable and- yeah, um, it's Milestone, because my Mom had this thing for weird meaningful middle names? But um, I usually just go by M-Miles."  
_Hello Terrence was really close really close and warm, warm! He was touching him he was touching his wrist he smelled so good oh no he smelled delicious no! no no no no no calm down calm down!!!!!_

Terrence, unaware of Miles's internal monologue of panic, relaxed a little but didn't let go of his wrist. "Well, what do you want me to call you?"

"What d-do I want? Miles. Miles is- Miles."

"Miles," Terrence nodded, shifting his hand from the other boy's wrist to his hand, bringing it up and shaking it. "Tell me everything about yourself."


	2. Interrogation

"Tell me everything about yourself."

Miles blinked a few times, eyes wide and cheeks rosy. "Wh-what?"

"I want to know how it happened- what's it like? What can you do? You're a vampire, that's- that's so cool-! You know how I get about animals- I'm just- I'm curious!"

Miles cleared his throat, offended. _"Animals?"_

"Oh, I didn't mean it like-!" Terrence corrected himself quickly, removing his hand from Miles's chilled one. He ran it through his hair, taking a step back. "Sorry."

Miles crossed his arms over himself, peering through his thick mop of ginger hair over at Terrence. His hair kept falling into his eyes, and he didn’t have anything to tie it back with. He’d hacked some bangs out of it a couple months ago, but they were beginning to grow out again.

"Are you cold?" Terrence asked, trying to offer an olive branch. "I have some blankets on my bed if- if that would help? Your skin felt so icy."

Miles laughed weakly, brushing a stray strand of hair out of his eyes. His pale skin made the freckles that dotted his face stand out clearly. "They won't help much. My normal body temperature isn't that high to begin with."

"Oh," Terrence muttered, shifting to sit on his bed, near his pillow.

"Yeah..."

Terrence reached for a small notebook on his bedside table, pulling a pencil from his pocket and scribbling down a note.

"Are you seriously writing that down?" Miles chuckled, a bit more relaxed.

"W-well! It's not like anyone's documented a vampire before. Hell, most people just think they're tacky Halloween decorations," he replied, brushing some black hair out of his eyes.

"So...you're not scared?"

"...should I be?" Terrence looked over at Miles, eyes searching for something beneath the surface.

"Well...I could hypnotize you into doing something terrible or drain all the blood out of your body. You tell me."

"But you wouldn't do that," Terrence laughed lightly, writing again.

"How do you know that? I could be horrible! A true _villain!_ "

"You've had plenty of opportunities to. You've been here almost a month, Miles."

Everything stopped for a second as Miles processed hearing Terrence say his name. And so casually-! He shook it off, moving to sit by the end of Terrence's bed.

"Gotcha," Terrence teased, smug grin pulling at the corners of his mouth.

"Yeah, yeah."

"So, can I ask a few questions?"

"I guess." How could Miles resist? Terrence wasn't afraid of him, didn't want to kill him, and had been the best company he'd had in almost three years. Oh, and he had a crush on him. But that was irrelevant!

"Ok! How old are you? Legend says vampires don't age and can live practically forever, so."

"I'm 21."

"...like. Actually 21?"

"Yeah 'like actually 21'. I've only been a vampire for a few years."

"Really?" Another note. "How many?"

"Three. Turned when I was eighteen."

"How?"

"My Dad is a jerk who also happens to be a vampire, and my Mom is a human who fell in love too easily."

"...Oh," Terrence paused, chewing the eraser on his pencil. Miles didn't seem half bad, but with him frowning like that, Terrence couldn't help but want to console him. He scooted a little closer. "So it's hereditary, then?" Terrence asked, trying to get through the topic and move on to a happier one.

Did Terrence just move closer? Miles must have been seeing things. He messed with the stitching on the cloak he was wearing, running his fingers over it and drawing it close to himself. "Yeah. I'm not on speaking terms with either of them, not that I want to be."

"Right, right..." Terrence scribbled in another note, scooting closer again. Very stealthy. "So, this hypnosis...how does it work?"

"Stare into someone's eyes. Unless they're also a vampire or incredibly mentally sharp, you can get them to do most anything by just suggesting it to them."

"That's a lot of power." Miles just looked at Terrence smugly. "Have you ever used it?"

"Yeah, to get food. Hypnotize the staff."

"All of the staff?"

"Mhm." Miles shifted in his seat, becoming increasingly uncomfortable at this line of questioning. Ah, yes. Nothing like being reminded of all the ways that he wasn’t human, that he was a monster, a manipulator, a leech, and a coward.

"That's amazing," Terrence said, breaking Miles out of his thoughts.

"It's- it's really not."

"It is- that ability has been sought after by so many people! Do you know how crazy people would go for that power if they knew it existed?"

"That's exactly why no one should know about it." Miles knew this was his fate. To be sealed away from the rest of society until he died. If he could die. He didn't need anyone else getting a hold on vampiric abilities.

"...ah." Terrence wrote another line, coming nearer. Miles knew he was getting closer because he could smell him.

"So...one more question? For today?"

"Sure, sure."

"Do you only drink animal blood, or is that a matter of preference?"

"I drink animal blood because I would feel terrible about drinking human blood. N-not that it would taste bad, it would taste much better than animal blood, but- it's not right. It doesn't feel right to do that. To prey on people,” he rambled, gesturing nervously with his hands.  
Terrence was sitting right next to Miles by now, and stopped writing to look at the vampire beside him. Miles returned his gaze, face flushing although he didn't feel any warmer.

"Look," Terrence began, "I'm- I'm sorry about asking you all that."

"No you're not," Miles snapped back, tearing his eyes away. "You wanted to know, you're curious, I get it." He needed to get control of himself. His fangs were already lengthening, readying to bite just based on the smell and proximity of Terrence. Terrence, unaware of this, placed a hand on Miles's knee.

"That might be true, but you're obviously upset-! I shouldn't have pushed it. Is there anything I can do to make up for it?"

"You can get the hell away from me," Miles snapped, struggling to speak clearly because of his fangs. Terrence removed his hand and backed off quickly, looking confused and hurt. Swiveling off the bed and back to the door, Miles spoke up again, trying to hold his voice steady. "Look, I'll just go, ok? I'll get out of your hair, and you'll get out of mine, and we can pretend this never happened. I'll just go."

"But you don't have anywhere to go, do you?"

If Miles wasn't crying before, he was now. He met Terrence's eyes with what was perhaps the most vulnerable and attacked look the other boy had ever seen. Miles turned into a bat, zooming back into the shoebox.

"Miles-!" Terrence stood abruptly, but faltered. What could he say to console his sweet little Drac?

Er. Miles.

He was silent, closing the window and drawing the blinds. Terrence sat back on his bed, rewriting his vampire notes more neatly in ink on a new page in his notebook. By the time he had finished, he'd come to a realization. He cared about Miles. More than that, he didn't want Miles to leave. So, quickly, he grabbed some things from the fridge and made a plan, shutting his bedroom door tightly behind him.


	3. Burned Concrete

He was having a stakeout.  
And also a steak-out.

Terrence had gotten himself some food and was prepared to wait it out, or at least try to lure Miles out of the shoebox on his dresser. He'd wait all weekend if he had to. He crossed a line, and it was his responsibility to at least apologize properly. He pulled out his study guides and pulled on his glasses, waiting with a steak in a small cooler by his bed.

Now, Miles had been crying for the better half of the night, but was done with his sob-fest by morning and had resolved to leave as soon as possible. Peeking out of the shoe box, he saw Terrence, half-awake, reading a thick booklet of poorly stapled-together loose-leaf papers. And he had glasses on.

"Why do you have to be so cute?" Miles muttered to himself, bitter and flustered.

Terrence woke up once his hand slipped out from under his chin, causing his head to fall forward. Jolting upright, he saw Miles's wide, shining eyes peeking out from the shoe box.

"Miles!" Terrence's voice was heavy with sleep as he got up and approached the box. "I'm really sorry about everything, I promise I won't ask any more questions, I didn't mean to cross any lines-"

Miles shimmied out of the box, flying over to Terrence's bed. Terrence, caught off guard by the sudden motion so early in the morning, whirled around to follow Miles with his eyes, nearly falling over in the process. Miles transformed mid-air, landing gracefully on top of Terrence's covers. He crossed his arms, huffy.

A thought crossed Terrence's mind that Miles was exactly as small and fluffy as his bat form, which was admittedly pretty cute. He smiled in spite of himself.

"What're you smiling at? I'm still mad."

"Sorry, sorry." Terrence quickly curbed his enthusiasm. He approached Miles slowly, sitting at a close yet comfortable distance from him on the bed. "How can I make it up to you?" Terrence asked.

Miles mulled it over in his head. He'd mostly gotten over Terrence's questioning by now, so he decided to let him off easy. "You can let me leave."

"...you know, I'm reluctant to do that," Terrence pouted in reply, giving Miles a taste of his own medicine.

"Why? I was just a pest you fed for a while. It's no big deal. I've survived three years, I'm sure I can survive plenty more."

"That's not it, and you're not a pest! Look, I'll just get straight to the point. I want you to stay here."

"...you know I can't pay rent, right? I'm broke."

"You didn't have to before, did you?"

"...fair point. But still, why?"

"You're homeless, right? You don't have anywhere to go," Terrence gestured with his hands, pushing his glasses back up. "And you're a vampire. I mean, this place is the jackpot for you- I'm not going to hurt you or out you, and you actually have a roof over your head and a decent food supply that you don't have to hypnotize people for. I can introduce you to Michael and Wallace and vaguely explain the situation, and they're pretty laid back, so it shouldn't be too hard. Why don't you want to stay?"

 _Why don't I want to stay?_ Miles thought. _Maybe because Terrence has the most appetizing smelling blood I've ever come across and the temptation would be terrible? Maybe because I would be a horrible burden of a secret to keep? Maybe because I have a crush on Terrence and there's absolutely no way that could work out well?_

"...you've convinced me," Miles said.

"Of what?"

"Of staying."

"Really?"

Miles nodded, arms still crossed. "But I have a few conditions."

"Lay 'em on me."

"One. Do not come near me when I'm eating. Ever. I don't want anything bad to happen. Two. Just, in general, stay away from me. Three. Don't touch my stuff. Not that I have much of it, but still. And four. I get to ask some questions," Miles grinned toothily, blue eyes twinkling with mischief.

"...some questions," Terrence replied skeptically.

"Mhm," Miles sing-songed, relaxing a little and uncrossing his arms.

"Like what." Terrence was obviously unamused.

"Well, if I remember correctly, you asked me...eight questions. So, I reserve the right to, at any time, ask you one of my own eight questions."

"What's the catch?" Terrence squinted through his frames, the ghost of a smile on his face.

Miles chuckled. Terrence had seen through him pretty quickly. "You have to answer completely honestly. But I only have eight, right? So how much harm could it be?"

"...will you tell me when you're using one?"

"Of course. I might be a true villain, but I'm not heartless."

Terrence snorted, laying back on his bed. "Sounds good to me." He stared at Miles, trying to get a read on him. He was really something to look at. His hair, clearly oily and unwashed for a length of time Terrence didn’t want to guess, fell past his shoulders and, though dirty, was strikingly vibrant. Miles ran his hands against one another in a nervous gesture, taking the moment of silence to clean under his fingernails. His shoulders were hiked up, tense, as if he was preparing to defend himself. Terrence shifted, sitting back up and keeping his eyes trained on Miles’s every move. He couldn’t help himself- he’d always been curious, especially when he was younger, and often forgot how uncomfortable staring made people. He moved closer again, reaching a hand out to touch Miles’s hair.

Miles backed away frantically, mentally forbidding any kind of blush. “And just what do you think you’re doing?”

“I- sorry, your hair just-”

“Didn’t I just say one of my rules was not to touch me?”

Terrence paused, counting the rules Miles had laid out on his fingers as he said them. “Don’t bother you when you’re eating, stay away, don’t touch your stuff, eight questions,” he said. “Guess you did. My bad, it’s just-”

“It’s not ‘just’ anything! I get that you’re fascinated by me, but seriously. I don’t want you accidentally getting hurt, so lay off.”

Despite his internal protests, Terrence’s face reddened. “That’s not-”

Miles cut him off. “Then what is it? I’m not your little science project, ok? I’m not some, some thing you can just poke and prod at. I’m not less human than you just because I have no choice but to live this way, and I won’t let you toy with me! If this is how living here’s gonna be, I think I’d be better off leaving.” Miles got up in a huff, going to the door and placing his hand on the doorknob.

“Miles, that’s not what I was thinking at all!” Terrence stood, following after him. “Why do you assume everyone’s out to get you? I was going to ask if you wanted to find time to get a haircut, or maybe take a _shower?_ I wasn’t going to lock you away and go all Dr. Frankenstein on you!” He was nearly shouting.

There was a brief moment of silence held between the two of them. Miles, tense and half-curled in on himself and the doorknob, stared up at Terrence, eyes like icy pools. Terrence loomed over him, catching his breath from his uncalled-for outburst. His own deep brown eyes seemed endless, searching Miles’s for an answer the other boy wasn’t ready to give. He took a step back, placing his hands in his pockets.

“I’ve said sorry so much tonight, but I’ll say it again,” Terrence’s voice had dropped in volume. “I’m sorry I don’t know you or your story and don’t know how to act right and scare you. You know I’m- I’m not good with people, but that’s no excuse. And I’m sure you have every reason to be afraid, I can’t even imagine being in the situation you’re in right now. But the question remains: what kind of person do you think I am? Do you really think I would dehumanize you like that?”

Miles swallowed thickly, taking his hand off the doorknob and holding back tears, brows furrowing.

“You already have. You did the second you took out that notebook.”

“Then I’ll stop.” He answered so quickly, so assuredly, that Miles was caught off guard. “You look so surprised- did you think I wouldn’t?”

“Well, yeah. It’s…hard to believe.”

“Hard to believe someone would be a decent human being towards you?”

“Yeah.”

Terrence stopped, immediately turning on his heel and fishing out his notebook from his bedside table. He brought it over to Miles. “I’ll get rid of it, burn it, shred it, whatever you want.”

Miles looked from Terrence to the book and back again. “Burn it.”

“Come with me?”

Miles only nodded as he opened the door and walked with Terrence beside him. Terrence grabbed a lighter from the small table near the front door, which was littered with keys and gum wrappers. Pulling on combat boots and opening the front door to let Miles out, Terrence followed after him, sitting down on the sidewalk. Miles sat beside him, quiet. The night sky had always comforted him before, but he felt uneasy being blanketed under it now.

“I’ll burn this, and then you can go.”

Miles turned his head sharply, pushing and tucking his unruly hair out of this face to look Terrence in the eye. “I thought you wanted me to stay.”

Terrence not only met Miles’s eyes, but held his gaze, self-assured and decided. “It doesn’t matter what I want. It’s your life. If you want to go, it’s your choice,” he said, continuing, “But you’re always welcome to come back.”

Miles tore his gaze away, staring in silence at the notebook which Terrence had placed on the pavement and weighed down with a rock. The dark-haired boy flicked the lighter to life with his thumb, bringing a tuft of flame down to the corner of the notebook.

It burned slowly, and there was silence.  
There was understanding.

Miles watched the notebook for a while, glancing over at Terrence. The low flames reflected in his rectangular glasses, but he did not look at Miles.

When at last the notebook had been reduced to ashes, Terrence kicked the rock out of the way with his boot, stamping out the last of the flames. He sat back down on the curb, staring ahead at the lines on the road. Miles stared up into the night sky. They were both quiet for a time, watching the last remaining cars on the road drive by, presumably towards home.

“Well, it’s nearly light,” Miles said, getting up and stretching. Terrence stood as well, zipping up his gray jacket.

“It was great meeting you. Not just because of the vampire thing. Well, maybe a little because of the vampire thing.” Terrence flashed a see-through smile at Miles.

“Geez, so sentimental,” Miles replied, smiling similarly. Terrence laughed.

“Do me a favor before you go?”

“I owe you at least one for nearly three weeks room and board.”

“Give me a hug?”

Miles blinked. “…Why?”

“You don’t look like you’ve had one in a while, and you might not get one for a while, so.”

“You’re using your favor as a favor to me?”

Terrence only smiled.

Of course Miles hugged him. Terrence was so warm, so warm and alive. He wished he could stay in those arms until dawn, but all good things must come to an end. Terrence waved, pocketing the lighter and heading back into the house. He left the window open just a crack. Miles turned back into a bat and quickly found a shady spot to hide before day break.


	4. Pancakes With a Side of Shakespeare

“Terrence? Terrence! Terrence Ray Chen! Wake up! I need some of your super blueberry pancakes, stat!” Michael called from the hall.  
Terrence rolled over in his bed, wiping some drool off his face and slipping on his glasses. He checked the window and the shoe box. Nothing. He didn’t know why he felt so…empty. Last night, Miles felt so cold in his arms- he just wanted to hold him close and tell him everything would be ok, that he wouldn’t have to live in fear, that he could be secure, but all good things must come to an end. So Miles had left, cutting Terrence’s brush with the supernatural short. He pulled on some sweatpants and his jacket and trotted into the kitchen.

“How’d you sleep?” Michael asked, drinking some orange juice at the breakfast table.

“Eh. I let my bat go last night, so I was up late worrying about him.”

“Ah, good riddance!” said Wallace, clomping down the stairs and into the kitchen.

“Hey, he didn’t bug you guys at all,” Terrence pouted.

“Yeah, but the meat smell sure did,” Michael retorted as Wallace sat beside him.

Terrence rolled his eyes, finishing the pancakes and doling them out to his housemates, eating three though he didn’t really have an appetite.

“What’s on the agenda for today, Terrence?” Wallace asked, mouth full of blue pancake.

“Gotta clean up my room and study for my acting class. I’m doing a scene from Shakespeare with Daryl.”

“Oh, that beefcake?” Michael smirked. “You’re lucky. There’s tons of girls, and guys for that matter, who’d love to have a chance with him. I, for one, am super jealous.”

Wallace huffed, shoving another mouthful of pancake into his face and rolling his eyes. “No thanks.”

“You’re not into anybody, Wally. Daryl would be more appetizing to you as a four course meal than a person,” Michael snorted.

“He’s not my type,” Wallace replied bluntly.

Terrence just picked up his plate and fork and put them into the dishwasher, heading back to his room and giving Michael and Wallace a passing wave. He flopped down on his bed and looked up at the ceiling.  
He’d eventually have to get dressed or at least put on a shirt, but he didn’t feel motivated to do anything but mope. He missed Drac, he missed Miles, and he felt like he'd lost someone important. But he couldn’t do anything about it. Maybe he was too pushy, or too passive. He felt restless. Terrence sat up, ready to at least suppress his pity party, when he saw a familiar shade of orange.  
Miles was standing in the middle of his bedroom, glancing around and rocking back and forth on his heels. When he noticed that Terrence had sat up, he smiled, fangs and all.

Terrence stood and crossed over to him quickly, stopping just barely in front of the other boy. “Can I hug you?”

Miles just nodded. Terrence swept the vampire up in a hug, so glad he was back and in one piece.  
“I was so worried!”

“About little old me?” Miles chuckled. “Nothing to worry about. And, um, someone left the window open. You should tell them to shut that, it’s gonna cause a terrible draft.”

Terrence laughed, patting Miles’s back a few times before pulling away from the hug. “So does this mean you’re going to..?”

“I’m gonna stay.”

“Great-!”

“I mulled it all over last night and…I think three years is more than enough time to be alone,” Miles said, trying not to stare at Terrence. _Who wears a jacket with no shirt?_

“I agree. And, that said,” Terrence gestured for Miles to follow him, grabbing some clothes from his dresser as he passed it and leading Miles to the bathroom. “It’s time for you to wash up.”

“Oh, thank God,” Miles replied, grabbing the clothes and thanking Terrence before closing the door behind himself. He took nearly a half-hour in the shower as he rinsed through his hair and scrubbed all of the caked-on days past off of his skin. He put on the clothes Terrence had given to him, an oversized shirt and some athletic pants, and carried his clothes out of the bathroom and back to Terrence’s room quickly and quietly to avoid getting caught by Michael or Wallace.  
Miles looked like a completely different person. Terrence had been reciting his lines for his performance with Daryl, an excerpt from Othello, but stopped dead in his tracks when Miles walked into the room. The other boy’s hair was sleek and shining, his face cleared of smudges of dirt. Not only that, but he looked happy.

“Too hideous to be shown…thou dost…thou dost…” Terrence trailed off, distracted.

“Excuse me?” Miles said, setting his worn dress shirt and pants on top of Terrence’s dresser.

“Oh, not you! It’s my thing for acting class,” Terrence was quick to explain.

“Aren’t you supposed to have that memorized?” Miles asked, quirking a brow. “How come you still have the script in your hands?”

“Just in case?”

“Hand it over.” Terrence did as Miles went to sit on his bed. “Who’re you?”

“Othello.”

“Alright, then let’s begin. Pretend it’s like the real thing, I’ll be Iago.”

“Ok,” Terrence replied as he shook out his hands, “Excellent wretch! Perdition catch my soul, but I do love thee! And when I love thee not, chaos is come again.”

“My noble lord,” Miles responded, voice full of conviction. And that was all it took.

As they went through the lines, Miles hopped off the bed, improvising his staging based on how Terrence was moving. They were like a fluid machine after a few run-throughs, Terrence easily getting the bulk of his lines without assistance. They all but danced around each other, feeding off each other’s energy and keeping the text alive.

“And didst contract and purse thy brow together, as if thou then hadst shut up in thy brain some horrible conceit. If thou dost love me, show me thy thought,” Terrence demanded, confident and no longer stumbling over his words.  
“My lord, you know I love you,” Miles answered, eyes fixed on Terrence and voice so convincing that the other boy almost believed him.

And so it went.

After they had run the scene enough times to be comfortable, Terrence took up the papers and put them back into his folder. “Thanks a million for helping me run that.”

“Of course, no problem.”

“Feeling better after your shower?”

“Yes. Oh my god, like you would not believe.”

Terrence laughed. “That’s good. You clean up well.”

“Oh?” Miles felt his cheeks get hot. “Good to know. Mirrors don’t usually help me out much in the style department.”

“Do you want to take a picture, then? Do you show up in those?”

Miles huffed out a laugh. “I do, but I'm only taking one if you’re in it too.”

“Fine by me.”

After it had been taken, Miles stared at himself in the photo. “…you’re right, I do need a haircut.”  
Terrence snorted, plucking his phone out from between Miles’s fingertips.

“I’ll see if I can make you an appointment tonight. It’s a college town, so there should be plenty of places open.”

“Sounds good!”

The day went by pretty quickly, Miles introducing himself to Michael and Wallace, who were immediately suspicious…of Terrence. After a thorough round of questions and a demonstration of his basic cooking skills, Miles was allowed to stay. Some blankets and pillows were piled up on their aging couch in the living room and Miles was given a place to sleep. Later on, after dinner, Terrence took Miles out to a salon. When they realized it was littered with mirrors, Miles tugged on Terrence’s jacket and requested that they leave. Terrence complied, and, feeling a little guilty about the failed haircut, offered to do it himself. Miles agreed.

Back in Terrence’s room once again, Miles sat in his desk chair. Terrence had left the window open, letting dusk’s sounds serve as background noise. Miles had shown Terrence a few pictures to give him an idea of what he wanted, but Terrence simply told him he’d try his best. He was a zoology major, not a hairstylist.

All of it was surreal. Miles had never felt so good in his life. He was relaxed and clean, knowing that he was safe, and Terrence was paying careful attention to him. He was close, close enough that Miles could easily smell Terrence’s blood. He’d been smelling it all day, the scent nearly intoxicating, but he’d been lucky enough to have the food he needed to restrain his urges. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt the guy who’d been kind enough to offer his home to him. After a while, Terrence swept up the remnants of Miles’s hair that had littered his bedroom floor. Miles posed for a picture and quickly snatched Terrence’s phone away to look at it. After a beat of silence, Miles handed the phone back.

“I want to use one of my questions,” he said.

Terrence straightened, caught off guard. “Alright, shoot.”

“Do I look good?”

Terrence paused, looking over Miles’s features. He’d tried to cut the vampire’s hair how he had requested it, short and boyish with bangs. As Miles ruffled and played with his new haircut, Terrence couldn’t help but be captivated. Miles was really cute.

“Very,” Terrence answered after a minute or two.

The smile that lit up Miles’s face was priceless.

The next few days were almost dream-like, as Terrence was not only having to cook less, but was also able to hang out with Miles more. Miles had taken to sleeping in his bat form in Terrence’s room instead of on the couch, “because it was safer”. Terrence didn’t put up much of a fight. He had his acting final to perfect.


	5. B Minus Bento

Finally, it was time. Terrence had taken the written final, but now it was time to hold his own with Daryl. He hoped he wouldn’t do or say anything stupid and embarrass himself in front of probably the most popular drama major on campus, but he wasn't counting on it. He crossed his fingers as he went in, running over his lines again, his heart threatening to explode out of his chest.

Terrence put all the energy he had into his performance, trying to keep up with Daryl’s seemingly natural ease. Some pauses were too long, others too short, and it didn’t feel right. Off-balance. Off-kilter. Terrence didn’t know if it was just him. He thought that it would make sense if it was his fault.

“And didst contract and purse thy brow together, as if thou then hadst shut up in thy brain some horrible conceit. If thou dost love me, show me thy thought,” Terrence commanded, the rehearsal with Miles coming back into his thoughts. He locked eyes with Daryl, ready to hear his lines and feel the emotion in them.

“My lord, you know I love you,” was Daryl’s lackluster reply.

Terrence was ready to dive into his next line, and get this whole hellish process over with, but he just looked back at Daryl, trying not to let his shock stand out on his face.  
_That’s not how it’s supposed to sound. That’s not right, you didn’t say it right, and you’re supposed to mean it, why don’t you mean it?_

Terrence could hear his breathing getting more ragged. The pause was too long. His mind was blank. _What are my lines? What are my lines, what am I supposed to say to that? Oh, oh I remember, I remember it’s not too late, speak, come on mouth, speak!_ He took a sharp inhale, continuing on with his lines though Daryl shot him an odd look. Their dialogue continued, Terrence having the final word.

“Certain, men should be what they seem.”

Terrence sat through the critique with Daryl, trying to slow his breathing down and avoid a panic attack. He escaped the testing room with a low B, going out into the lobby of the drama building.  
And who was waiting for him but a redhead with an all-too-familiar smile.

“Miles? Is that- what’re you doing here?”

“Terrence, hey!” Miles waved him over. He waited until the dark-haired boy was near to present him with a small Tupperware box.

“What’s all this, why’re you here?”

“Well, I know you’ve been stressing about this exam for while, so I wanted to…y’know. See if you made it out alright.” Terrence looked at Miles, then the Tupperware he was handed, and back. “Oh, and I made you lunch. A-as a treat.”

“…Can I hug you?”

“S-sure.”

Terrence wrapped his arms around Miles, muttering all sorts of thank-yous and expressions of gratitude. Miles didn’t think he could get any redder. Terrence separated himself from Miles, and couldn’t help but flush at the sight of Miles’s face.

“Wh-what are you blushing for?!” Miles sputtered, pulling his hood over his head to hide his cheeks.

“N-nothing!”

“I-I just wanted to do something nice for you since you’ve been s-so stressed, is all!”

“D-do you want to eat lunch together?”

“Of course-!” Miles answered, realizing a little too late how overly eager that sounded, but Terrence only smiled, prompting Miles to pull his hood back a little.  
Daryl came out of the testing room and into the lobby, stomping up to Terrence and glaring at him. “Hey. What the hell was that in there? You coulda tanked my grade, pulling what you did! Was it so hard to learn your lines? You might be a non-major, but I thought you’d at least be competent.”

Miles stood between Daryl and Terrence, furious. “You don’t have any right to talk to him like that!”

“Says who?”

“Says me! Back off!”

“Tch, you’re not worth my time anyway,” Daryl turned with flair, walking out of the building and into the drizzle of rain outside. Miles turned back to Terrence.

“I don’t like him.”

“Yeah, me neither. I’m just miffed it took me so long to figure out,” Terrence muttered, crestfallen. He changed the subject. “You wanna go sit in the cafeteria?”

“Will there be a lot of people there?”

“There shouldn’t be too many.”

“Then sure. And then you can tell me how it went.”

“Alright,” Terrence agreed, smiling faintly as Miles flipped up his hood and started running over to the cafeteria with him.

After they got situated, Terrence opened the Tupperware container and peered inside. A piece of cucumber, some rice, two slices of ham, and two halves of a hard-boiled egg peered back up at him. The eggs had tiny smiley faces drawn on them in ketchup.

“Miles.”

“Yes?”

“…the faces on the eggs are so small.”

“W-well I didn’t know if you liked ketchup on your eggs or not!”

Terrence smiled up at him, and Miles could have sworn his heart stopped.

“Thank you so much for making this for me,” Terrence said, beginning to eat.

“It’s no problem, really,” Miles mumbled, red in the face. “Wallace said you might like something like this, he’s been showing me a lot of recipes on the internet in hopes I could try to make them. Is there a reason you would like this kind of thing?”

“Oh, this? It’s like a bento box, right?”

“Yeah, that’s what Wallace called it.”

“Well, I guess he tried to show you ‘Asian cuisine’ but the joke’s on him because I’m Chinese, not Japanese.”

“O-oh.”

“It’s still really tasty though, thanks.”

Miles nodded, beaming and proud of his work. Terrence began to eat an egg.

“Are you hungry or anything? I can get you something from the cafeteria, if you want,” Terrence asked.

“Oh, no, don’t bother. I couldn’t digest it anyway.”

“Oh, right, sorry.”

“No, no it’s ok. I stocked up a few nights ago, I’m not quite hungry yet.”

“…can I ask what, um…‘stocking up’ means?”

“It means I go to some farm or forest, find an animal, and drain it of blood,” Miles answered curtly, making sure not to speak too loudly.

“Oh.”

“Yeah, I don’t like it either. But it’s that or hurt people, and I don’t wanna do that. But it doesn’t keep me very full,” he sighed, “So what’s a vampire to do?”

“Seems like you have a system figured out.”

“Mhm. But enough about me! How’d your excerpt go?”

Terrence groaned, stuffing his face with rice.

“Oh, come on,” Miles pried, “You’ve been avoiding it since we sat down. Did it really go that poorly?”

“Well, I dunno. The whole thing felt off with Daryl, too stiff, I nearly had a panic attack, and I kind of want to forget it ever happened,” Terrence said, sinking into his chair.

“You didn’t fail, did you?”

“Nah, got out with a B. I think they took pity on me.”

“Better than a pityless F.”

“You have a point,” Terrence shrugged, finishing his meal.

“Wanna go home? Watch some sci-fi movies?”

Terrence looked over at Miles, closing the Tupperware. “Nah. Let me show you around.”

“Around campus? There’s maps, you know. I won’t get lost.”

“No, no. Around town.”

 _Like a date?_  
“Oh, sure.”  
_Like a date?? Oh my god, it’s totally like a date!_

Miles and Terrence spent the rest of the afternoon going into various quiet thrift shops and touristy places to window-shop. Terrence offered to get Miles ice cream, but seeing as it was December and he couldn’t eat it anyway, Miles declined. Through their easy conversation, Terrence soon forgot all about the stress of the morning. As they headed back home, Terrence felt relaxed. He’d finished all his finals, and soon holiday break would be rolling around.  
As Miles came upon the front door to the house, Terrence was quick to pull him back.

“Woah, woah, woah. You see the door hanger on there?”

“…how could I miss it? It looks like a third grader’s craft project.”

“That means Michael’s got some girl, some boy, some _one_ over.”

“So? We live here too! It’s not like-” Miles trailed off when he saw the look on Terrence’s face. “You mean-” Miles felt his cheeks light up.

“Yeah, he’s probably doing something we don’t want to walk in on.”

“F-fair enough,” Miles said, taking a seat on the front steps. Terrence sat beside him, and they were quiet for a moment, watching the cars pass. It was amazing how much had happened in such a few days. “Does that mean Michael’s…?”

“He’s pansexual, yeah.”

“Oh.”

“Mhm, and Wallace is ace.”

“Ace?”

“Asexual. He’s not really into doing all that stuff.”

“How do they ever get along?”

“Your sexuality isn’t your personality, you know. They’ve been thick as thieves since forever.”

“…Hey Terrence?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I ask you a question?”

“One of the special ones? You’ll run out at this rate, buddy,” Terrence replied, his eyes soft, kind, and focused on Miles.

Miles laughed. “Well, I won’t make you answer it if you don’t want to…but I’d prefer if you didn’t lie about it.”

“Lay it on me.”

“If Michael’s pan and Wallace is ace…then what’re you?”

Terrence was silent for a moment’s hesitation. “I’m gay.”

“Are you- is that- have you come out?” Miles stammered.

“Only to my family, and to Michael and Wallace too. Didn’t really go badly, but it didn’t go well, either.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, my Dad doesn’t take it seriously, and my Mom wants grand-kids. So they both sort of choose to ignore it and hope it'll go away rather than…feel one way or the other about it.”

“Oh. That…that sucks, I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. I’m just glad they don’t hate me.”

“But they still aren’t supportive…”

“I know, it’s- it’s not great,” Terrence sighed, hanging his head and staring into the pores in the pavement, looking like he wanted nothing but to get sucked into them and hide away forever. “But it’s all I have.” Miles scooted over to Terrence, putting his head on the other boy’s shoulder. They sat like that for a while, because there was nothing to say.

“If it helps,” Miles offered, “I’m bisexual. Or, at least, I’m comfortable with that label. So I’m not gonna be…be rude about anything like that. I’m here if you ever want to talk about it.”  
Terrence gave an affirmative hum and nothing more as they sat in the cold, waiting out Michael’s escapades.


	6. Sorrow Stew

Going through the rest of the week wasn’t hard, at least not for Terrence. Though Michael and Wallace would be heading back home for the holiday break, he’d be staying put with Miles, which was a concept that was growing on him more and more by the minute. Ever since that fiasco with Daryl, Miles had quickly grown on him. Late one night, while watching some Star Trek, which Terrence had insisted that he watch, Miles spoke up.

“Hey…do you think tomorrow we could make a big dinner, or something?”

Terrence glanced over at Miles, who was keeping a safe distance from him on the couch. He wished he’d come closer. He paused the movie. “Why?”

“I kinda want to give Michael and Wallace a nice send off. Like, a ‘thank you’ for letting me stay.”

“I think that’s a great idea.”

“Will you help me with it?”

“Of course.”

That seemed to satisfy Miles, and he relaxed into the couch as Terrence started the movie up again. By the time it was over, Miles was sound asleep, head laying in Terrence’s lap. Terrence couldn’t avoid looking at him, not wanting to get up or move and risk waking the other boy. His eyes traced over Miles’s face, and he caught himself smiling. After a second of silent deliberation, Terrence placed his hand lightly on Miles’s head, fingers idly playing with the wispy orange locks there. Miles did nothing but shift slightly and sigh. He looked so content. Terrence was so glad he was safe, so glad they were friends, so glad they’d met, so glad he was here with him-

Then Michael walked in on the scene. He was quiet, sharp eyes shifting from Miles to Terrence. Michael waggled his eyebrows and went out the front door, leaving Terrence a blushy mess as he quickly took his hands off of Miles.

 _What is this, what am I doing? Oh my god, Michael’s never going to stop teasing me about this. Of course he had to barge in and figure out about my-_  
He looked back down at Miles, who was sleeping peacefully.  
_My…crush._ Terrence propped his elbow up on the armrest of the couch, letting his head lean on his palm. _That’s what it is, isn’t it?_ He sighed. Maybe holiday break would be worse than he thought.

They spent the following day cooking together, Miles well-rested and energetic while Terrence had been up all night thinking and re-thinking his whole crush thing. Every time their hands brushed against each other while Miles was passing him a potato peeler or knife or what have you, he could feel his face get warmer. He hated it, but he loved it too because Miles was reacting the exact same way. The vampire was just significantly better at playing it off than him. It was getting to the point where Miles was doing it intentionally, and even Terrence could see that. He felt lighter than air, grinning and laughing and listening to the radio with this person he’d come to care about so much.

“Mm! You guys, this is really good!” Wallace said, all but choking down the stew Miles and Terrence had been making all day.

“Mhm, I agree,” Michael nodded, getting up and going for seconds. “You sure you don’t want any, Miles?”

“I’m really good, thank you,” he said, keeping his smile close-lipped.

Terrence looked from his bowl to Miles, who was sitting rather reservedly at the table, fingers laced together. He felt bad for him. All this work, all this time, and he couldn’t even taste the fruits of his labor.

“You sure?” Michael pressed on, “It really tastes like it was made with love.” Michael shot a sneaky look over at Terrence, who nearly choked on a piece of potato. Luckily, Wallace started laughing, so Terrence had time to collect himself and redirect the conversation.  
“Yeah, yeah,” he spoke up, “Don’t even act like your parents haven’t made you guys food with ‘love’ before. Speaking of, when are you guys heading out to see them?”

“Probably tonight, if we want to make good time tomorrow,” Michael answered.

“Yeah, we’re already packed,” Wallace said, getting up for thirds and finishing off the rest of the meal. “You’re not heading back this year, Terry?”

 _“Terrence._ And no. My folks are having a big family gathering, and not everyone in my family is willing to turn a blind eye to my sexuality.” Miles frowned, but Terrence continued speaking. “I’ll probably end up giving them a call over Skype some time, if they can figure out how to use it.”  
Wallace sat back down at the table, giving Terrence a pat on the back as he crossed to his chair. Their conversation evolved into family stories, and in many cases, fiascos. It seemed like no time at all and Michael and Wallace were piling into Michael’s car, headed for a whole different corner of North Dakota. After they left, Miles got up from the table and went to start on the dishes. It didn’t take long before Terrence was helping with them, drying them off and putting them away.

“Hey, Miles?”

“Yes?”

“Do you ever miss being able to eat?”

“Every day. I miss a lot of things.”

“…is there any way I can help?”

Miles passed him a plate. “No. I’m already a vampire, sort of. More alive than most, but. It’s too late for that.”

“No, I mean, is there any way I can get you actual blood?”

“What-”

“Like, from a blood bank? Would that…?”

Miles slapped his wet sponge down on the counter, turning to face Terrence. “You’re being ridiculous - you can’t steal from a blood bank, Terrence, people need that to live, for surgeries! What brought this up?”

“It’s just- you’ve been cooking all day, and you complain about how hungry you are, and here you go, doing all this work and making something you can’t even enjoy! It’s not fair!”

“Don’t pity me.”

“I’m not pitying you, Miles. Your situation really sucks, and I want to help because I care about you. If you really need human blood to ‘satisfy your hunger’, I’ll volunteer for that.”

“Terrence, you don’t know what you’re saying.”

“Miles, I want to help make your life less awful.”

“You’ve already done that. Besides, I could seriously hurt you! What if I lose control, huh? If I hurt you- anyone- I couldn’t live with myself.”

“But I trust you, Miles. You’re not going to hurt me if you don’t mean to!”

“Terrence, I don’t trust myself, especially not with you.”

“Why’s that? Aren’t we friends?”

“No, that’s not what I mean. Your blood’s just-”

“Just what?”

“It smells good,” Miles mumbled meekly.

“…how do you know that?”

“I have a heightened sense of smell. I can all but smell someone’s blood type if I’m close enough to them, and it’s admittedly very tempting if I’m not full...I guess you could say I have a type.”

“What do you mean?”

“Like, a type of blood I know I’ll like. By the scent.”

“And I’m…?”

 _“Definitely my type._ So, I really don’t want to chance it. I appreciate that you want to help, but…I don’t want to get hooked or get you hurt.”

“Get hooked? Like, actually addicted to my blood?”

“I didn’t mean it literally. But I’ll admit it would probably be more difficult than I’d like to admit for me to go back to animals after…trying something human.”

Terrence looked at Miles, concern evident on his face. “…We don’t have to talk about it anymore. I’m sorry for bringing it up.”

“It’s ok, you had good intentions. It’s just hard stuff. Sometimes you can’t change it, you just have to…live with it. Push ahead.”

They cleaned the rest of the dishes in silence before Miles spoke up again.

“I want to use another question.”

Terrence only nodded.

“Are you afraid of me?”

Terrence leaned on the counter and pushed up his glasses, thinking about his wording carefully.  
“No, I’m not afraid of you. I know what you can do, but that doesn’t mean you'll do it. I know you’re a giving person. You’re charming, you’re energetic, you’re engaging. But I also think you’re probably more scared of yourself than I am of you,” he trailed off. “Sometimes, I wonder if you _want_ me to be afraid of you.”

“…I don’t.”

_I want you to like me, I want you to reassure me, because I like you so much, I like you so much because you’re kind and you listen and you don’t understand but you try and that’s more than anyone has done and sometimes I wonder if I even have a chance because of who I am and what I am and how I am, I want to know I have a chance with you. That I’m not just doomed to be a scary, bloody mess, that I can feel human again and believe in it, that I can have these feelings and not feel bad about wanting to get close to you, but every time I do my stomach takes over and it hurts because you’re so much more than a meal to me, but it feels like all of me doesn’t believe that. You gave me this chance at taking back my humanity, don’t you see?  
I want to prove to myself I’m worthy of loving._

“Miles- you’re crying, are you okay? Did I say something wrong?” Terrence was quick to move closer. Miles was quick to grab onto his arm, holding with a vice-like grip.  
Terrence knew what this was. He knew all too well.

“Count with me, ok?” he said, holding Miles up though his legs were shaking. “We’re going to count it out until you can breathe, ok?”

They made it to 75 before Miles could breathe normally again.

“Are you feeling any better?” Terrence asked, his hold on Miles gentle but firm. Miles nodded.

“You want to relax and watch some Christmas movies on the couch?” Another nod. This was shaping up to be a long winter break.


	7. Home

Maybe break wouldn’t be as long as he thought. Actually, the days were passing very quickly between Terrence’s holiday job at a coffee shop and Miles’s love of their comfortable routine. They had been spending a lot more quality time at home, which had really made the break go by in a blur. It was crazy to think that he and Miles had become so close that they had a routine now. Terrence would get home, shower, and Miles would already have some sort of coffee or tea steaming at the breakfast table in a chipped mug by the time he was out. They’d gotten through almost all of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and had since moved on to the original Star Wars movies, per Terrence’s request.

It was homey, it was peaceful, and Miles loved it, maybe even more than Terrence did.  
Miles nudged Terrence while he was unwinding after work, drinking the chamomile tea he’d made. He requested that Terrence go with him on a walk, only able to convince him after whining for a solid five minutes straight.

“Why did you want to do this, again?” Terrence asked, ducking under tree limbs.

“Because. You’ll see,” was Miles’s vague answer.

As they pushed further into the forest, evening cloud cover gave Miles the opportunity to take off his hood. He looked up at the bare branches, which seemed to be clawing at the darkening sky. He was unphased, always moving ahead. They came upon a frozen creek with a thick tree trunk laid across it. Terrence, immediately unsure of its sturdiness, halted, watching Miles tread across the log so easily it looked like he was floating.

“C’mon Terrence,” he called.

“Miles- I can’t. I’ll fall onto the ice-”

“You won’t.”

“But Miles-”

“Trust me. I won’t let you fall.”

Miles crossed the natural bridge again, and, taking Terrence’s gloved hand, led him across. Terrence escaped with only a bruise to his ego and a redness in his face.  
After twenty minutes, Miles stopped walking.

“What is it?” Terrence asked.

“Look up.”

It was probably the tallest tree he’d ever seen, standing out as clear as day against the snow on the ground. Several feet up was a small wooden house, so mossy and covered with lichen that it blended into the bark of the tree. Miles took a few steps forward and began climbing. Terrence watched and eventually joined him in the tree house after he threw down a molded rope ladder.

“Are you sure this is safe?” Terrence asked, sitting beside Miles.

“It ought to be. I stayed here for three years with no problems.”

Terrence did a double take. “You lived here?”

Miles nodded, “It was the best thing I could afford. And besides, it has a great view.”

Terrence looked out of the opening in the old tree house and down at the fallen snow as the sun sank lower in the sky. Reds, oranges, pinks, purples - all of these flooded his vision as the sun set, reflecting off of the ice crystals that had formed on the ground and making them glisten. It was so eerily quiet, so oddly entrancing. He looked back towards Miles, who was peering out with his own icy eyes. Little puffs of breath, coaxed out by the cold, were escaping from his parted lips.

He was beautiful.

Terrence wanted to kiss him.

“I still come here a lot if I’m feeling down or after I eat. It helps me clear my head.”

“I can see why. It’s beautiful out here,” Terrence said, letting silence settle between them again.

While it was magnificent, it was also cold, and it wasn’t long before Terrence requested that they head home.


	8. Remix

Now, Miles never really left the house except for the occasional night out or if one of the guys invited him somewhere, and Terrence was beginning to feel bad for him. Almost five weeks’ worth of winter break and Miles hadn’t really done much other than watch old sci-fi movies and Christmas specials. So, Terrence casually asked the vampire to come to a party with him. It’d be at night, so Miles didn’t have to worry about sunburn, and it would get him out of the house. Not only that, but it was the last big party before classes started up again, so it would be very upbeat – just what Miles needed to shake up his routine! Terrence pitched his idea to Miles, who was very quick to agree to be his plus one.

Terrence invited him to a party? A real party? Where they could have fun and listen to music and maybe even dance together? Miles was all for it! He knew he shouldn’t get his hopes up about Terrence actually liking him, but this was a pretty good sign, right? Well, maybe he was only inviting him because Michael and Wallace were out, but Miles decided to look on the bright side of the situation. Terrence had asked him out, kind of, so who was he to deny him?

The night of the party rolled around, the last Friday of break. Miles had gone out and gotten himself a new shirt with the money Terrence had given him as a Christmas gift (he’d taken over dish duty for the rest of the break as Terrence’s gift), and he was feeling very spiffy. Terrence looked amazing, wearing a navy-blue button up under his well-loved gray jacket. Miles had chosen to go without his cloak, figuring that by 9pm things would already be quite dark and more than safe. As they walked over to the house where the party would be, Miles couldn’t help but want to hold Terrence’s hand. He didn’t, of course, not wanting to cross any lines, and shoved his hands in his pockets instead.

As soon as they arrived, they were pushed and strained through a sea of bodies. The lights in the room were artificial and almost sickeningly colorful, blaring over the otherwise dimly lit space. They could feel the pulse of the music in the soles of their shoes. People in various states of inebriation were gallivanting around, going to get refills or find their friends. It was messy, it was crowded, and it was very much so alive.

Miles immediately regretted that he hadn’t fed sooner.

All of these people. All of this movement. All of this warmth, so close to him it was like being trapped in a blood bank. He felt sick to his stomach, and hobbled over to one of the corners of the living room to find what little respite he could. He looked for Terrence, who’d gotten separated from him when they entered. They met eyes from across the room, and Terrence, already smiling and dancing, waved to Miles.

Well, there was no way he could leave now. Terrence was having fun, and it felt wrong to cheat him out of this night out just because of a stupid vampiric impulse. Miles decided he’d sit back and wait a while before pulling Terrence aside and asking to leave. He wanted to get a drink, as fluids were one of the few things his body could still digest, but he was not willing to risk accidentally getting drunk. He needed his self-control right now, especially if more people were going to show up.

And show up they did. Terrence was having the time of his life, catching up with a few of his friends and dancing to the playlist the host had put together. He’d seen that Miles was mostly keeping to himself, which had worried him. However, considering that Miles hadn’t been to something like this in nearly three years, he was doing pretty well! Terrence had waved over to him earlier, and he seemed fine, so he’d just kept dancing around the room.

If Miles was nervous about the party, Terrence was ten times as nervous. He’d decided when he invited Miles that this would be the time to make a move. He would come over, ask Miles to dance, lean in, and ask if he could kiss him. The rest was in Miles’s hands, if Terrence even got that far. Currently, the whole idea of kissing Miles was very overwhelming to him, because he was Miles! He was sweet and beautiful and perfect and the last thing Terrence wanted to do was mess up.

Terrence knew it was a risk. If this ruined their friendship, would Miles move out? Or, worse, would he stay and be uncomfortable with Terrence there? He was pretty sure he’d read the signs right – Miles had been cuddling more with him on the couch, had been more open than before, and he’d been outright flirting with him for nearly all of the break! Terrence debated with himself back and forth across the dance floor, almost approaching Miles three times but chickening out each time, letting himself get lost in the dancing crowd. This was going to be a disaster!

This was going to be a disaster if he didn’t get out of here soon. Miles had been stuck playing wallflower for almost three hours now and the scents were getting to him. He could feel his fangs protruding from his mouth, the perfume, cologne, and blood all going to his head. He needed to tell Terrence. He needed to get out of here. Miles pushed off the wall and into the mob of dancers in the middle of the living room, reaching out for Terrence. He caught him by the sleeve of his jacket, pulling him closer. As he began to open his mouth, Terrence took his hand, and they were dancing. Miles’s eyes widened, letting Terrence lead his footsteps, and soon they were lost to the rhythm of the room. It was as if everyone else had melted away – it was only Terrence, there like he always was, secure and comfortable. Miles almost felt relaxed.  
And then the mood changed.

 _They’re playing a slow song._ Terrence thought to himself. _This is my chance._ Couples started to weave through the crowd to take the place of their more upbeat counterparts, and Terrence moved closer to Miles.

“Dance with me?”

Miles’s eyes were shining. “Sure.”

 _It was happening. It was actually happening-! They were dancing together!_ Terrence let his hands fall to Miles’s waist as Miles moved to lay his on Terrence’s shoulders. His hands were like ice, and he was shaking. Terrence felt a little relief knowing that Miles was just as nervous as he was.

Miles was going to lose it.

Terrence was so close to him, too close. Everyone was too close. There were too many people and not enough escape routes. Too many smells, too many sounds, too many feelings, and too much hunger. His resolve was weakening. Though he had a crush on Terrence, the ruby red blush in his cheeks was not helping the growling in Miles’s stomach. If he could just hold out through this song, then he could ask to leave. Just one song.

After what felt like an eternity, the song faded into another upbeat one. Miles had never been so grateful for remixes in his life. He locked eyes with Terrence, trying to get his voice to work over the overwhelming thrum of the music. Terrence leaned down, hands still at Miles’s waist. Their noses were nearly touching. He was warm and Miles could feel the pulse of his heart in every bone in his own cold body.

“C-can I kiss you?”

It was too much. Caught completely off guard, Terrence’s neck mere inches away, Miles bit him. His fangs sank in completely, but he pushed Terrence back in a last ditch effort to avoid hurting him.

But it was too late.

Miles whirled around with wide, frightened eyes, wiping his mouth, and made a mad dash through the crowd and out the door. He ran until he knew he was alone and transformed, flying into the woods. Away from people, away from temptation, and away from Terrence.

He’d ruined his chance.


	9. Love Sucks

Terrence was frozen in time, a hand over his neck. He’d been bitten, but nothing drawn, nothing taken. And Miles had slipped right through his fingers. He was frantic, forcing his way through the crowd and into the outside. He looked up at the night sky, as if it had anything to offer him.  
_I need to find him. This was a terrible idea with all those people, no wonder he was shaking! And I went and put him in that, I shoved him into the thick of it!_

Terrence ran back to the house, guided by streetlights. Heart hammering in his ears, he found the house empty. _Of course he wouldn’t be here! Why would he come back here? He probably feels terrible, all because I made him go to a party. Stupid! Where could he be? Where would he go at a time like this?_

Terrence stopped dead for a second in the middle of the kitchen.

He bolted out of the front door, locking it with fumbling hands, and ran by phone flashlight to the woods. He could barely see, his breath fogging his glasses. He tripped over a root, scrambling to get up and over it. All the trees looked the same. The same clawed hands reaching for something to hold on to. He had lost his footing, sliding off the snow-slicked path and nearly into the frigid creek, grabbing onto a fallen tree as he saw it.  
“The bridge!” he cried, heading straight for the log he’d crossed with Miles only days before. He inched across it, trying to tune out the small snaps and crackles of the aged bark. Picking himself up again, he swiveled his phone’s light back and forth, looking out for low branches.

“Miles! Miles, where are you? Please, Miles, it’s me! It’s Terrence! I’m fine, where are you? Please come out!”

Like a beacon, the rope ladder swung slowly from the tree house. Its roof had been blanketed with snow, and Terrence heard his teeth chatter as he climbed up the rope, pulling himself into the small house. And there he was. Shivering without his coat, Miles was curled up in the corner of the tree house. Tears had already overcome his eyes, and his nose was dripping from the cold.

“Miles-”

“Stay away!” he cried, hissing.

Terrence retracted his hand, sitting on his knees. “Miles, I’m so sorry-”

“Shut up, Terrence!”

The dark-haired boy blinked, dumbfounded.

“It’s not your fault. You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s me,” Miles sniffled.

“Miles, you couldn’t help it.”

“If I was anyone else, anything else, I wouldn’t have to be like this. I wouldn’t have to hurt things to survive, I wouldn’t have to be a burden or a danger to you.”

“But Miles-”

“No! I bit you, Terrence. I can’t- I can’t forgive myself for that. It’s base, it’s animal. It’s not what you deserve, it’s beneath you. I won’t let you forgive me for that.”

“Too late. I’ve already forgiven you.”

Miles surged over to Terrence, gripping the collar of his jacket. “How dare you! You can’t just let this go, Terrence! I hurt you, you should be scared and you shouldn’t have come looking for me!”

“Miles, I invited you to this huge event with a ton of people because I was an idiot and forgot about how you deal with crowds, especially living ones! It was insensitive and ignorant! You know full well I’m not afraid of you, and I came here because I was scared _for_ you, not _of_ you! Stop this!”

“Stop what!”

“Trying to make me be afraid of you! Pushing yourself away! Miles, I don’t care that you’re a vampire! You’re my friend, and if anything, you being a vampire is one of the best things about you!”

“…why’s that. Because I’m some sort of exotic-”

“ _No!_ Because without it, I would never have met you!”

Miles blinked.

Terrence continued. “Ever since I met you things have been fun, and I’ve seen things I’ve never seen before. I’ve seen you smile and laugh and- and live! And I’ve missed having a friend I could be so comfortable with.” He gripped the fabric of his pants, taking a breath. “I just- I’d miss you so much if you left.”

Miles backed away into the corner again, Terrence’s scent becoming more overwhelming the quicker his heart beat.

“Why are you backing away?” Terrence asked.

“I don’t- I don’t want to bite you again.”

“Miles, it’s ok. You need it to live,” Terrence said, moving closer.

“But I don’t want to hurt you, or make you uncomfortable-”

“You won’t hurt me. I said it’s ok. You can, I’m allowing you to.”

“But your neck could get scratched-”

“You don’t have to bite my neck! I have blood all over, here,” Terrence said with a laugh, offering his wrist. “Your fangs are going to poke through your lip at this rate and you’re shaking like a leaf, just drink. It’s ok. You have my permission.”

“You won’t hate me?”

“I won’t hate you.”

“That was one of my special questions,” Miles added, hesitant but determined to get the full truth.

“My answer is the same.”

Miles warily crept over to Terrence. The other boy’s blood was intoxicating, it was all he’d been able to think about since Terrence entered the tree house. Miles was trying to hold out, but his hunger overwhelmed him. Even so, he wasn’t going to be heartless. He held the other boy’s hand gently, his touch feather-light. His eyes flicked up to Terrence’s, waiting for some reassurance. When Terrence nodded, he sank his fangs into his wrist, taking five short gulps before backing away and crossing his arms over himself.

“…I thought you’d need more than that,” was all Terrence said, noticing the puncture wounds were already beginning to heal. He ran a finger over them.

“…it’s pretty filling,” Miles replied, his tone less than cheery. He was teary again.

Terrence immediately moved to comfort him. “Miles, don’t cry.”

“I f-feel like a monster, Terrence!”

“You didn’t hurt me, Miles, it’s ok. Why do you feel like a monster?”

“Because this is the first time I’ve actually felt full in three y-years.”

“Oh, Miles.” Terrence swept him into a hug. They stayed there for a long time, Miles crying into Terrence’s shoulder, Terrence holding Miles close and keeping him as warm as he could. Neither of them were in a good enough state to do much else. After Miles had collected himself, he sat in Terrence’s arms as the other boy leaned against the wall of the tree house. Terrence gave Miles continual reassurance, telling him that it was ok, that he didn’t hate him, and that it was over now.

“Terrence?”

“Yeah?”

“Why would you do all this for me?”

“Is that one of your questions?”

“Mhm.”

Terrence paused, watching snow flurries fall in dollops on the branches of the tree. “Because you’re Miles. You didn’t choose this way of life, the way I see it. And you try so hard to be good and not hurt people that you distance yourself from them. Part of me does it because I want to help you, because I feel bad for you. Part of me does it because you deserve it.”

“Deserve it?”

“Everyone deserves to have shelter, food. Everyone deserves to have someone there for them. Everyone deserves that basic dignity and respect. But, you know. Part of me is selfish. Part of me does it just because I really like having you around. You’re kind. You care. You’re really refreshing to be around, I just…it makes me feel happy, to have you here,” Terrence said, more than willing to blame his deepening blush on the cold.

“Terrence? I have another special question.”

“Yes?”

“Do you like me?”

“D-didn’t I just say something like that?” Terrence retorted, flustered.

“I-I meant, like, romantically.” Miles was persistent.

“Oh. I- uh, that’s- I mean-” Terrence cut himself off, taking a breath. “A lot. Yes. Why do you ask?”

“B-because I like you, too. A-and you should know. It’s gonna be hard, you know? To like someone like me. So much of me wants to be happy with you but…I’m like this. I drink blood and I can’t see myself in mirrors and people overwhelm me. And you’ve got so much going for you- I just…don’t want you to miss out on anything because of me.”

“Miles, you’re not a burden.”

“You can say that, but it still feels like I am.”

“You’re not. I know words can’t always reassure that, but they’re all I have right now. I want to be with you. Even if we can’t go out to crowded places, even if I can’t take you out on dinner dates. We’ll make it work, we’ll find a way. It sounds cheesy as hell, but. It’s true. I’m willing to give us a shot if you are.”

“Terrence, I have another question.”

“You’re going to use them all up tonight, aren’t you?”

“I still have one left after this!”

Terrence smiled, hugging Miles a little closer. “Go ahead.”

“…Will you go out with me?”

“Of course,” Terrence said. “I’ve been trying to ask you out all night, but it looks like you beat me to it.”

Miles smiled, the tension in his shoulders easing as he leaned into Terrence’s chest.

“You going to use up your eighth question now, or later?” Terrence asked.

“I was waiting for the right moment!” Miles exclaimed, gathering his wits. “C-can you kiss me? Please?” Miles shifted to face Terrence. The dark-haired boy reached out a hand, thumbing at Miles’s lips.

“Not until you use some mouthwash. You’ve got a little red on your face, there.”

Miles’s face burned and he quickly covered it with his hands. “You didn’t tell me I still had blood on my face!”

“Hey, that’s why I’m saving your kiss for later,” Terrence replied coyly.

Miles huffed, crossing his arms.

“If you want a kiss so badly, I’ll be glad to give you one,” Terrence said, tilting Miles’s head up to press a chaste kiss to his forehead. He watched as Miles’s lips squirmed into a smile, and all at once he was being hugged again.

“I didn’t realize you were such a sap!” Miles chuckled, snuggling up again.

Terrence only shrugged, unable to keep himself from grinning.


	10. Bartering

They didn’t stay outside much longer, the cold getting the better of both of them, and they soon returned to the house. Terrence headed for the bathroom to take a warm shower, and Miles went to find some mouthwash. After cleaning the bittersweet taste from his mouth, Miles grabbed a mug and set out to make some tea for Terrence, lying in wait for him on the couch.

Terrence felt about a million times better after the shower, looking around for Miles in his pajamas. It all felt surreal. Miles liked him back. They were a couple! Or at least they’d work their way up to that point. Everything had worked itself out and he could hardly believe it. “Oh, there you are,” Terrence said, perking up as he saw Miles on the couch.

“Here I am! And here’s your tea.” Miles offered the cup to Terrence.

“It’s nearly one in the morning, you know. I appreciate it, but I don’t think I need the caffeine to keep me awake.”

Miles pouted. Terrence was glad things had gone back to normal. “But I made it especially for you!”

Terrence sighed. “Alright, alright, give it here.”

“Not until you give me a kiss. A proper one.”

“A kiss for a cup of tea?” Terrence asked as he approached.

“I think it’s a pretty good deal,” Miles replied, cheeks growing rosy.

“I think you’re right,” Terrence said, closing the gap between them. But it was over too soon as he pulled back, taking the tea with him. He sipped it with a smirk on his face. “Someone’s red,” he teased.

“Well that’s y-your fault!” Miles sputtered, trying in vain not to smile.

“How can I make it up to you, then?”

“Kiss me again.”

Terrence set down the mug on the coffee table and slid into Miles’s arms.

“Gladly.”

\------------------------

Michael and Wallace burst through the door a few days later, rolling in suitcases that were definitely heavier than when they left. Miles and Terrence immediately knew they’d arrived by their cheery and booming voices. Miles took Terrence by the hand and ran to greet the two guys, excited to hear about all that had happened to them over the break.

Michael, sharp as ever, immediately gave Terrence a look.

“Hey guys,” Terrence started, “It’s great to have you back.” He squeezed Miles’s hand, and the vampire looked up at him, beaming. His fangs poked out of his smile, prominent and almost proud. Almost.

“We’ve got something we want to tell you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all of Miles and Terrence's story...for now!   
> I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!


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